Sheet piler



y 1951 F. K. SCHEFE 2,560,252

' SHEET FILER Filed'June 4, 1947 s Sheets-She s: 2.

Snuentor Fre de/v'c/v K. Jcflefe 8: [AM

111.: attorney y 1951 F. K. SCHEFE' 2,560,252

SHEET FILER Filed June 4. 1947 5 Sheets-Sheet- 5 Iinoentor (its(Ittorneg July 10, 1951 sc 2,560,252

SHEET FILER Filed: June 4, 1947 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Snvenfor th s attorneyF. K. SCHEFE SHEET FILER 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed June 4, 1947 m a 3 C I 4Q. J MN 5 K k H w v m a W Q m A I Q H a III; I I 1 I I I I I I I I I I II I I I I I 0 0 II Jig. 6.

HIS attorney Patented July 10, 1951 2,560,252 FICE sneer PILER FrederickR. seam, Gary,

Ind., assignor to United States Steel Company, a corporation of NewJersey Application June 4, 1947, Serial No. 752,334

' 3 Claims. (Cl. 214-6) Numerous devices have been proposed forattaining the foregoing objectives but, so far as I am aware, they areall subject to various disadvantages. One prime disadvantage ofconventional sheet pilers of the class with whichthe present inventionis concerned is that they are costly to manufacture, install andmaintain. Another disadvantage, and one which is particularly applicableto the least expensive installations, is that during the stacking orpiling operation the sheets are permitted to slide upon one another.

It is among the objects of the present invention to provide a sheetpiler of the class described which is highly eflicient in operation,accomplishing the stacking or piling operation without damage to theindividual sheets; and one which is at the same time relativelyinexpensive to manufacture, install and maintai Another object is toprovide an apparatus of the class described which is entirely automaticin operation and one which is also adjustable to accommodate sheets ofvarying sizes.

Numerous other objects of the invention will be apparent as it is betterunderstood from the following description, which, taken in connectionwith the accompanying drawings, discloses a preferred embodimentthereof.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus of the invention;

Figure 2 is a plan of the showing of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a view takenon the line III-III of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a view on the line IVIV of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is an enlarged view on the line V-V of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is an enlarged view on the line VI-VI of Figure 2;

Figure 7 is an enlarged viewon the line VII-VII of Figure 2; and

Figure 8 is a fragmentary enlarged end view of the right-hand portion ofthe apparatus of Figure 3.

Referring more particularly to the drawings,

the numeral 2 designates a rail base. which is disposed adjacent a pointof delivery of successively fed sheets and be disposed the skids on bepiled.

The rail base 2 is provided with a pair of sliding-ways 3 each of whichis adapted to rein front of which there may which the sheets are to,

ceive the depending leg of a housing 4. As shown most clearly in Figures3 and 8, the housing 4 may be adjusted longitudinally of the rail base 2by means of rotatable screws 1.

' Facing in the direction in which the sheets are to be successivelyfed, each of the housings 4 is provided with a horizontally extendingstationary shaft 9, the same being received in a bearing l0 and locatedin position by means of a conventional clamp l I. Each of thehorizontally extending shafts 9 carries a rotatable huh I! with whichthere is integrally formeda face plate l5. Each of the face plates tiisprovided with a series of horizontally extending individual fingers t6;the same being adapted to receive between them, and to stack or pile,the succes: sively fed sheets, the manner of which will be describedhereinafter.

Each of the hubs I2 is provided with an in tegrally formed worm gear l3,a shaft 2| extends between the worm gears l3 and carries in slidablykeyed fashion a pair of worms 22 one of which is adapted to cooperatewith each of the worm gears l3.

Referring to the upper right-hand part of Figure 2, the shaft 2| isprovided with an extended end which carries a sprocket 24, the samebeing driven by a chain 25 which connects with a sprocket 26 on a shaft21. This shaft 21 is connected to the lower of a pair of pinch rolls 29which are disposed at the delivery end of a processing unit, the same inthe present instance being represented by a typical sheet conveyor 32.This sheet conveyor 32 comprises a pair of parallel angularly inclinedrails 33. Adjacent the upper ends of the rails 33 and the hereinbeforedescribed pinch rolls 23, ther is provided a shaft 34 which carries aseries of sprockets ,36 around each of which there is strung a chain36:: the opposite end of which is not shown. As shown most clearly inthe upper left-hand end of Figure 2. the shaft is extended, and carrieson its extended end a sprocket 38 to which there is connected a chain39, the latter being also connected to a sprocket 40 on the shaft 21(the latter being connected 29, as previously to the lower of the pinchrolls described).

The shaft 34 may be driven in any suitable manner; for example, by anadjustably disposed electric motor (not shown). 1

Referring particularly to Figures 1 and 2, each of the chains 36a isprovided with a series of spaced lugs 4|, the said lugs being abreast ofone another on the adjacent chains, whereby they serve to successivelyfeed the sheets from the sheet conveyor 32 and into the pinch rolls 29.The bottom pinch roll (which is driveni from the shaft 34) rotates at ahigher rate of speed than the chains 36a, thereby eliminating bucklingof the sheets a they enter the pinch rolls.

In order to guide and align the sheets as they are fed from the pinchrolls 29 there is attached to each of the stationary horizontal shafts-9a longitudinally (see Figure 3). In addition, each of the housings 4 isprovided with a bracket 44 which carries a stationary guide 45, thelatter being in effect continuations (downwardly) of the stationaryguides 43. From the foregoingit will be perceived that the combinationof guides 43 and 45 provides 5 simple and readily adjustable means forreceiving and alignin the sheets as they are delivered from the pinchrolls 29.

Referring to Figure 1', there is disposed beneath the space between thecorresponding stationary guides (43-43 and 45-45) piling skids 48 uponwhich the sheets are to be stacked or piled. In order to even the endsof the successively fed sheets after they are deposited on the pilingskids 48, there is provided a contacting platen 49 which is connected toa series of oscillating members and motivated by a crank 5| which isconnected to a motor driven speed reducer 52,,

In operation:

Sheets S are successively fed from the pinch rolls 29 and moved inbetween the revolving assemblies of fingers 16. The speed of rotation ofthe fingers 16 (which are mounted on the face plates is coordinated ofthe pinch rolls 2!! in such manner as to cause the extending fingers tosuccessively register and thereby provide supporting means for thesheets, as shown in dotted lines in Figure 3.

It is, of course, essential that (as viewed in Figure 3) the left-handassembly of the fingers 16 be rotated clockwise while the opposite(right-hand) assembly of the fingers is rotated in a, counter-clockwisedirection. In this manner, then, there is assured a rapid and smoothlowering of the successively fed sheets into position on the pilin skids48, the fingers I6 when in their lowermost positions being automaticallywithdrawn due to their rotative motion.

In order to prevent the excessive forward movementof the successivelyfed sheets S there is provided a pair of brackets 53 in which there isadjustably supported a pair of parallel horizontally extending rods 54.These rods 54 extend between the assemblies of fingers l6 and carry astop member 55 having a cunved upper face 56 which serves to deceleratethe forward movement of each of the successively fed sheets immediatelybefore contacting the stop 55, thereby preventing damage. As shown bythe broken lines in Figure 1, when the sheet S enters the piling deviceit is partially supported by both the fingers l6 and rolls 29. Asforward movement continues the sheet simultaneously assumes a downwardmotion corresponding to the moving fingers 16. By proper adjustment ofthe stop 55 with respect to the length and speed of the sheets beingfed, the advancing ends of the latter may be assured contact with theupper curved face 56 of the stop 55.

Since many changes, variations, and modifications in the specific form,construction and arrangement of the elements shown and described may behad without departing from the spirit of my invention, I wish it-to beunderstood as being limited solely by the scope of the appended claims,rather than by any details of the illustrative showing and foregoingdescription.

What I claim is: 1. Apparatus for piling sheets comprising a pair ofparallel rotatable heads, a series of forextendin stationary guide 43 50which are connected towith the speed a wardly extending parallel fingerscarried by each of said heads, and means for rotating said heads inopposite directions so that the fingers carried thereby traveldownwardly in. the convergent direction, said fingers being adapted fordisposition beneath the opposite'edges of a sheet disposed between saidheads and for withdrawal from contact with said edges at the lowerextremity of the rotative movement thereof.

2. Apparatus for piling sheets comprising a pair of parallel basesupported housings, a rotatable head mounted on a fixed shaft in eachhousing, said shafts protruding forwardly from said heads, a series offorwardly extending parallel fingers carried by each of said heads,means for rotating said heads in opposite directions so that the fingerscarried thereby travel downwardly in the convergent direction, beingadapted for disposition beneath the opposite edges of asheet disposedbetween, said heads andfor withdrawal from contact with said edges atthe lower extremity of the rotative movement thereof, and side guidemeans for assuring the evendispositionof a sheet relative to said heads,said guide means including a horizontally extending sheet member carriedby and projecting below each of said fixed shafts, and a horizontallyextending sheet member mounted on each housing below each head andprojecting forwardly therefrom, said last named sheet member beingspaced vertically from said first named sheet member.

3. Apparatus for piling sheets comprising a pair of parallel basesupported housings, a rotatable head mounted on a fixed shaft in eachhousing, said shafts protruding forwardly from saidheads, a series offorwardly extending parallel fingers carried by each of said heads,means for synchronously rotating said heads in opposite directions sothat the fingers carried thereby travel downwardlyin the convergentdirection,

said fingers being adapted for disposition beneath the opposite edges ofa sheet, disposed between said heads and for withdrawal from contactwith said edges at the lower extremity of the rotative movement thereof,side guide means for assuring the even disposition of a sheet relativeto said heads, said guide means including a horizontally extending sheetmember carried by and projecting below each of said fixed shafts, a

bracket member mounted on each of said housings below each head, and ahorizontally extending sheet member mounted on and projecting forwardlyfrom said bracket, said last named sheet member being spaced verticallyfrom said first named sheet member, and an end stop mounted on the basesupporting said housings and disposed between said heads for preventingthe excessive forward movement sheets 'fed into the apparatus.

FREDERICK K. SCHEF'E.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS said fingers Certificate of Correction Patent No.2,560,252 July 10, 1951 FREDERICK K. SCHEFE I It ishereby certified thaterror appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patentrequiring correction as follows:

Column 4, line 59, after movement insert of and that the said LettersPatent should be read as corrected the same may conform to the record ofthe case in the Patent above, so that Signed and sealed this 2nd day ofOctober, A. D. 1951.

THOMAS F. MURPHY,

Assistant Oommz'ssz 'oner of Patenta.

